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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. current — happening now
  3. bass — the fish
  4. spring — the season
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mug — a face
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. spring — a coil
  10. current — electric
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spell — a short time
  17. mug — a cup
  18. current — of water
  19. wind — moving air
  20. spell — letters
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. mug — to rob
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com